


Clarity

by BlackCats



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, One Shot Collection, Relationship Study
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 18:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3178041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCats/pseuds/BlackCats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's got a good heart in there, past all that immaturity and sarcasm.<br/>(Labrys, Yosuke, and scattered moments.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clarity

Labrys’s feet were planted firmly outside the door of the training room for the Shadow Operatives. Despite the fact that she knew better, she couldn’t bring herself to move another inch. She was regarding the empty, circular enclosure with the same sort of wariness one would give a rabid animal.

The weight of her axe on her back was less reassuring and more troubling. She grimaced and turned around, heading halfway down the corridor and pausing there with her back to the entryway.

Memories were crowding her, swarming through her mind, pressing down upon servos and joints until she thought for certain that she’d buckle, crashing to her knees. Hands came up to clutch at long strands of hair, eyes slipping closed.

_I…I just can’t do this. It’s far too similar. I can’t walk in there!_

This wasn’t the laboratory from her nightmares. This wasn’t something run by _that_ Kirijo Group, even if its heiress was the founder. Logic had lined itself up and presented all the facts for her to view, but Labrys couldn’t find the courage at the moment to force herself through that door and into the combat center.

She couldn’t. She hated herself for it.

If she wanted to get stronger, if she wanted to be able to help Aigis and all her new friends, she needed to train. She needed to improve. She was a powerhouse already, but she could get better. There was _always_ room for improvement.

So why couldn’t she just… _step in_?

A loud beep sprang into her mind and Labrys flinched as the silence shattered. She reopened her eyes and saw a notification on her visual display. Someone was calling her. The Caller ID said—

A small smile appeared. _Yosuke._ She leaned against the cold gray wall as casually as she could; shifting a bit so her axe wouldn’t send up a spray of sparks with every movement. The built-in phone—it was a new feature, added recently during a routine check-up—would pick up and relay his words straight to her.

She clicked a miniscule button on the steel band of her visor. “What’s up, Yosuke-kun?”

_“Yo, Labrys-chan! I just wanted to drop you a line and say hey, that’s all. Wait…I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”_

In the distance, she heard: _“You’re talking to Labby-chan?! Oh, oh, put me on!”_

_“You can call her yourself later, I want to talk to her alone! As in_ privately _?!”_

_“But Yoooosuke! It’s_ Labby-chan _! I’m sure she wants to talk to_ me _more anyway!”_

_“You stupid bear, let go of my phone! I swear if you damage this thing, I’ll work you so hard on your next shift that you won’t be able to talk to_ anyone _for a week!”_

_“Labby-chan!”_ Teddie cried, his voice so earsplittingly loud that she had to turn the internal volume down. _“Your brave knight has not forgotten you! Not even for one instant!”_

She smiled. “That’s real sweet of ya, Teddie. I ain’t forgotten ya either.”

_“Did you hear_ that _Yosuke?! She hasn’t forgotten me!”_

_“Yeah, yeah, I heard! Get back to work; you’re still on duty for another hour you know!”_

_“Wait for me, Labby-chan! Wait for meeee!”_

As Teddie’s voice faded from hearing, Yosuke muttered a host of colorful swears under his breath. She listened to the sound of him walking off someplace before he spoke again. _“Dealing with that guy every day can be a reeeal headache sometimes.”_

“Maybe, but he always means well, don’t he?”

_“Well, that’s true. Still good intentions don’t really mean anything when_ I’m _the one that has to piece together an entire ruined display.”_ His words were acidic but his tone was warm. _“So, how’ve you been?”_

Labrys flexed her fingers into a fist, knocking them lightly against the wall. “All right I guess, but I’m kinda upset with myself for chickenin’ out right now,” she admitted.

_“Chickening out? What could someone like you possibly be afraid of?”_ He joked.

“I…I can’t step into the trainin’ room.  I dunno, it really ain’t anythin’ like the one I’m familiar with, but I just _can’t_ …”

Yosuke’s voice became soft. _“Hey you don’t have to push yourself. Considering everything that’s happened to you, you probably need the least training out of all of us.”_

“Maybe. Still I’ve gotta toughen up if I want to help the Shadow Operatives and youse guys out. Fightin’s kinda what I was built for too, and I don’t mind it so long as it’s on my own terms.”

_“It doesn’t matter what you were built for. You make your own choices with your own life, Labrys-chan.”_

“Yeah…I know.”

He brightened, maybe in an attempt to cheer her up as well. _“You could always train somewhere else. I mean, if that’s possible? There has to be_ some _other place or way to practice without you locking yourself in some cold, dark chamber.”_

Labrys blinked. The idea was so ludicrously simple that she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it sooner. “Might’ve just struck gold there, Yosuke-kun! I’m sure I can think of somethin’!”

_“I did—? I mean, that’s great! Glad I could help, Labrys-chan.”_

She grinned, feeling considerably revitalized. Maybe it would be better for her psyche—and Ariadne by extension—if she avoided enclosed spaces with computer monitors surveying her closely for now. Training outdoors in some secluded location sounded infinitely more preferable, even if it was raining or snowing.

“Ya did more than just help. I really owe ya one.” The relief in her tone was palpable. “It’s a real simple idea but for some reason, I just couldn’t connect the dots.”

_“Well, I mean, the whole thing was pretty…difficult for you, so it’s not surprising that you’d have trouble seeing a solution?”_ She could hear his grin as he spoke the next part. _“If you really owe me one, how about we go out to Okina City next time you’re in Inaba?”_

“Okina City?” Labrys had been taken around Tatsumi Port Island already by Aigis, and she had delighted in all the sights with her sister. This sounded like it’d be of a somewhat different nature. “Hmm. All right. Ya can consider it a date then.”

Yosuke made a choked, flabbergasted noise that never failed to amuse her. She chuckled as he struggled to get his act together. _“S-So, uh…When can I expect to see you next?”_

“Dunno. I’ll ask Mitsuru-san about gettin’ some free time and let ya know.”

_“All right, cool. I’ll be really looking forward to it! So what else is new?”_

“Nah, that’s enough ‘bout me for now. Nothin’ too new or interestin’ to report anyway. Tell me what’s goin’ on over there! What’s workin’ at Junes like?”

_“Hell,”_ Yosuke said so deadpan that she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well if it’s _that_ serious, I definitely gotta hear ‘bout it now! C’mon, Yosuke-kun, what’s it like?”

_“You’re really that interested in hearing about working in a department store?”_

“I wanna know what your life is like,” she said lightly.

There was a brief pause, and she detected some sort of emotion in his silence during it, but was unable to name it before he spoke once more with quite a lot of vigor.

_“Okay first, you have to tell me if you can imagine working nine to five—and sometimes_ overtime _—with someone like Teddie as your main coworker. Seriously that bear’s a hard worker, but this one time…”_

**Author's Note:**

> This is a portion of a longer story I've had in the works but never finished. Might not have it in me for any long spiels, but keep an eye out for more little drabbles to go with this one!


End file.
